It is no secret that 2025 has been a stellar year for film. Audiences have been spoiled with several blockbusters, auteur outings and indie gems. However, if there is one film to seek out this year, make it Kirk Jones’s I Swear, a little-known Scottish biographical film that is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable things to come out of 2025.
I Swear tells the inspiring true story of John Davidson (played as a child by Scott Ellis Watson and as an adult by Robert Aramayo) and his experience of living with Tourette’s syndrome. As a young boy growing up in 1980s Scotland, John begins to experience involuntary tics that range from mild to severe, from verbal to physical. These can take the form of twitching or blinking, or, at the other end, of uttering obscenities or knocking things out. In a time where there was barely any awareness about Tourette’s, John is punished and ridiculed by his peers, family and teachers, who believe his actions are intentional. The condition makes John’s life extremely difficult, and strains his relationship with his mother, Heather (Shirley Henderson). Years later, John meets Dottie (Maxine Peake), his friend Murray’s (Francesco Piacentini-Smith) mother and a mental health nurse, who is going through her own struggles. John moves in with their warm and accepting family, and his life changes forever. Dottie gives him the encouragement he needs to live an everyday life, and he finally gets a job as a caretaker, forming a special bond with co-worker Tommy (Peter Mullan). John begins to understand the misinformation about Tourette’s and that it is society that needs to change and adapt, not him.
From the get-go, I Swear immerses the viewer into its world with its authenticity, from the mundane UK setting to the stripped-back filmmaking style itself. However, it is the performances from the cast that will truly take your breath away, particularly Aramayo as a grown-up John. The actor delivers arguably the best performance of any movie released this year and will leave viewers thinking there is no way this man could possibly not have Tourette’s. In a role that is as physically demanding as it is emotionally, Aramayo conveys every tic with such believability that you are forced to forget that this is an actor playing a character. It is an astounding feat, and while Aramayo does most of the heavy lifting, his fellow castmates are incredible in their own right. Peake is wonderfully warm as Dottie, John’s saving grace and lifeline, in an almost non-romantic soulmate kind of way. Mullan and Henderson also deliver impressive supporting work.
Due to the film’s subject matter, I Swear could have easily fallen into melodrama and done a disservice to an important topic. Luckily, the film presents an honest, empathetic and multilayered approach to Tourette’s. John’s experience shows just how devastating and debilitating the condition can be, and it is particularly hard to watch his treatment by authorities, such as being arrested and taken to court for something out of his control. Additionally, there is a strong sense of humour throughout the film, first evident in its opening sequence. In a flashforward to 2019, John is awarded an MBE from the Queen for his charity work and involuntarily shouts “F*ck the Queen!” in front of Her Majesty. John acknowledges that it is okay to laugh at certain verbal tics, which can sometimes contain brutal honesty. What is also truly inspiring is John’s compassion, resolve and determination to help others like him, engaging in activism and medical research as an adult.
I Swear is a brilliantly compelling and moving film about an incredible human being. While society is a lot more educated about Tourette’s syndrome today, this will still spark essential conversations and hopefully bring hope to those living with the condition. In a fair world, this would be sweeping the Oscars next year, but let’s hope the BAFTAs will give the film all the flowers it deserves.
I Swear is screening as part of the British Film Festival from November 5 to December 7. You can view the full programme and book your tickets here
